[SuperJon]

First off, let me say this is not a "you suck" thread, but rather a "what's going on" thread.

My cousin is coming to LU this fall, and he was going into the flying program. He was approved by SallieMae for enough money, however, LU would not up his budget so that he could use it for the program. Because of that, he's not being able to start on that course of study this fall.

A friend of mine, who is a senior this year, maybe not be coming back to LU this semester because the loans and everything are not going through on LU's side.

Another friend of mine, who will be a sophomore, is having problems from LU with his loans and financial aid. He's seriously considering not coming back this fall.

Then, tonight, I was talking to another friend and she said her loans had been messed up on LU's side and she's having to figure out a bunch of stuff before she can come back this fall.


My question is what's up with that department? Maybe it's just a coincidence that four of my friends are having the same problems, but it seems bigger than that. Anyone with any inside information would be great.

[ATrain]

In my experience in dealing with financial aid: incompetence and institutional greed. Basically in order to make it work, I've had to be "rude","pushy" and "belligerent" with people who were "just doing their jobs." I hate to have to strong arm my way through sometimes, but you just have to do it.

Good luck to your friends, and may God help that office.

PS-I've also received a bill, in the mail, for 14 cents a couple times...someone please tell me how much sense it makes to bill me for 14 cents and send it to my house with a 30-something cent stamp? I have a friend who is the financial aid director of Hampden-Sydney College, and she said that situations like that only happen "on accident", and that if someone is a senior and they've already graduate but still owes like $3 or $4, they just write it off there. Heaven forbid anything like that happen at LU.

Sorry SJ, didn't mean to turn it into a "you suck" thread...anyone with any insider info on whats happening?

[PAmedic]

Obviously, no inside info here- but my recommendation is your friends all DEMAND to speak , FACE TO FACE, to a supervisor.

If your friends are correct- and I have no reason to doubt you- then we have students attempting to further their education at this insitution (furthing Jerry's goal of "Training young Champions") and they are BEING TURNED AWAY or, rather, FORCED AWAY, because someone is failing to do their job.

That is unacceptable.

Good luck.

[thesportscritic]

I gotten bills for chump change before like 30 cents and this is the price of a pack of gum most likely. I had to be pushy towards that office at times.

[LUconn]

Hey. Own up on your debts you deadbeats.


But anyway I read that as of Saturday, college loan rates have gone up. Hope you got your stuff processed before then.

[Guest]

I do own up to my debts, and I don't mind paying 14 cent or whatever in printing charges (btw-Hampden-Sydney has done away with those b/c they calculated out and discovered they were losing money by having to have people keep track of all that chump change), but when it comes to mailing out a bill for 14 cents, there is definite loss going on. For starters, lets say that sheet of paper cost a penny...then the net gain is 13 cents. Stamps are 39 cents now right? net loss of 26 cents. They do that for 400 students: minus $400 (and I know people who have been sent bills for 5 cents or less, so its probably more)...bascially all I'm saying is that they need to re-evaluate the way they do business there.

[Guest]

^^That was me, btw

[ATrain]

Testing, testing, 1-2-3...

[Guest]

I can speak from experience and from the fact that I worked for Liberty and have attended a few classes here. The Financial Aid office does indeed suck! Not that I am bitter, but unless you know the top dogs of the university you cannot get anywhere. Good luck to those 4 friends of your SuperJon.

[cdbilton]

I thought I would share my most recent encounter:
I was near Liberty on July 4, and had final printing charges to pay off ($0.72), so that they would mail my diploma in September, so I decided to stop by to see if I could pay at Student Serives. To my (initial) delight, the Student Services Center was open. However, I was told by one of the four people working there, all of whom were not currently doing anything, that since there was no cashier working, that I couldn't leave three quarters with my info in an envelope to be processed the following day. Instead, I was told to come back at another day (they are only open weekdays from 8:30 - 4:30, which is when I'm working), or to pay online, by phone, or mail a check. So I just received confirmation today that they did indeed cash my $0.72 check, and I'm sure someone in that office had a great time reading the letter I enclosed, relating the aforementioned experience. Sometimes I think that Liberty's bureaucracy is even worse than that of the government.